Here are the notables for Monday, February 10th, and Tuesday, February 11th:
- The Houston Dash have signed free agent Evelina Duljan to a one-year contract. Duljan was with the Orlando Pride in 2024.
- The Utah Royals have at least two more unannounced invitees, based on a preseason match line-up posted via their x.com account. One of those players looks to be defender/forward Itala Gemelli, who finished up her NCAA career last fall with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
- The Dash have also added an assistant coach to Fabrice Gautrat’s staff: Jaime Frias, who was the head coach of the women’s soccer team for the University of Houston since 2022.
- Also, the Boston 2026 franchise has placed $25 million in escrow, which is a preliminary financial requirement for the renovation of White Stadium.
Houston Dash: Free agent midfielder Evelina Duljan signs one-year contract
Swedish youth international Evelina Duljan, who was with the Orlando Pride in 2024, will stay in the NWSL after signing with the Houston Dash for the 2025 season (Dash press release).
The 21-year-old midfielder had seven substitute appearances and one start during the 2024 season (NWSL game log).
Duljan began her pro career with her hometown club, Kristianstad DFF, where she played from 2017 to 2022. She then transferred to Juventus (August 2022 press release). Duljan left the Italian club after one season via a mutual contract termination (June 2023 press release). She was unattached until signing with the Pride in January 2024 (press release).
At the youth international level, Duljan (SvFF profile) has been a member of the Sweden Under-23 Women’s National Team since 2022 and played in matches during the last two international windows of 2024. She also played for Sweden’s U-17 and U-19 WNTs.
Utah Royals: Two more unannounced non-roster invitees
On Monday, the Royals played a preseason match against the San Diego Wave. In an x.com post, the club posted its full bench for the match, but only provided surnames. Among the trialists’ named were a “Gemeli” and a “Jones”.
The first player is most likely defender/forward Itala Gemelli who recently wrapped up her NCAA career at the University of Alabama (player profile). Previously, she played three years at the University of Dayton (player profile).
Quick Notes
Also on Monday, the Houston Dash announced that Jaime Frias, who was head coach of the University of Houston’s women’s soccer team since 2022 (bio), has been hired as an assistant coach. Frias was previously an assistant at Virginia and spent several years working for U.S. Soccer as a head coach and assistant coach of its women’s youth national teams. (Dash press release)
Last week, retired NWSL player Christine Nairn, who was an assistant under Frias for the 2024 fall season, was hired as an assistant for the University of Alabama women’s soccer team under head coach Wes Hart. (Alabama Athletics press release)
The Boston 2026 franchise has taken an important preliminary step in the redevelopment of White Stadium by placing $25 million in escrow (Dorchester Reporter article). The escrow account is one of the financial safeguards required by the franchise’s agreements with the City of Boston (December 2024 press release).
Free agent midfielder Maya Doms, who was selected in the first round of the 2024 NWSL draft by Bay FC after five seasons at Stanford (player profile), has signed with U.S. Sassuolo in Italy’s Serie A Femminile (news item). Doms only had one regular season appearance in 2024.
Women's Soccer Express 